What's easier to remove, the sunroof or the fuel door

[jwakil]

I need to get my headlight trim rings painted to match my car, and would rather not leave the car at the shop to color match. It's been a while since I've removed a sunroof, and I've never removed the fuel door, but I imagine those would be the two easiest things to take to the shop so they can color match (unfortunately I don't have my paint code sticker). It seems the fuel door screws are pretty hard to get to but would like some advice from anyone who's done both or either.

[cmonref]

The fuel door is easier to remove. Three small bolts with allen heads at the top of the LF wheel well. Look aft at the very top of the wheel well and you will see them. Watch out for them to be rusted in place. Squirt some penetrating oil on the threaded ends that are under the hinge end of the fuel door. Turn it slightly CW, CCW, CW, CCW ... and squirt more penetrating oil. Do it again. They will loosen up more and more during the CCW part of your operation, then come all the way out.

[Cory M]

fuel door

[OffCamber00]

I took the torsion bar hole cover.

[jwakil]

Originally Posted by OffCamber00

I took the torsion bar hole cover.

I thought about the torsion bar cover but I heard reinstalling that runner that goes along the side of the car covering part of the hole can be a pain to reinstall.

[sailchef]

I would go for the most easily accessible part, which for me would be the torsion hole cover. What ever part you try to remove you will encounter resistance and maybe a little rust. the rocker rubber slides on pretty easily if you use a little silicone based sex lube.




Slippery when wet.



LOL.

[Joe Bob]

Paint code needs a look up, scanning takes five seconds. Get another shop.

[porsche930dude]

id go for the mirror

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Paint code needs a look up, scanning takes five seconds. Get another shop.

uh, no.. if the car has been outside at all since new, the paint code will not match. UV kills color. If you don't bring a piece in to match, it ain't gonna... The older the car the more imperative.

and yes, fuel door is by far the easiest.

[impactbumper]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

uh, no.. if the car has been outside at all since new, the paint code will not match. UV kills color. If you don't bring a piece in to match, it ain't gonna... The older the car the more imperative.

and yes, fuel door is by far the easiest.

That is right. My body/paint guy always asks for a sample although i give him paint code myself. He says that is the only way to match color

[jwakil]

Well, I was able to take out the torsion hole cover pretty easily, and then had a 'Duh' moment when I took off the black tape used over the cover to match my wheel flare rock guard and realized the paint underneath was old and not the same after years of being under a glued joint. So will have to go for the fuel door, or the mirror as Porsche930dude suggests.

The paint code thing was not popular with the shop I took it to. First, I didn't have the code so they were trying to find one based on similar colors online, and second, they said the paint would probably be faded and different than the original code anyway.